England are set to get tough with French clubs over the release of
James Haskell, Tom Palmer and
Jonny Wilkinson during the Six Nations Championship.

Jonny Wilkinson is one of a number of England players currently playing their rugby in France (Pic: Getty)

Last year Max Guazzini , the president of Stade Francais, accused England of holding Haskell hostage when they refused to release him for a key league match when the tournament was on a one-week break.

Rob Andrew , whose role as England’s director of elite rugby is set to be scrapped, admitted it was ‘inevitable’ France-based players would again be stuck in the middle of club-versus-country rows.

Stade, where Palmer plays with Haskell, and Wilkinson’s Toulon face important fixtures on both rest weekends of the Six Nations, which begins next month.

Andrew is all too aware of the conflict of interests and said: ‘We are having dialogue. It is inevitable they will [put the pressure on]. They have all got big games.

‘Inevitably there are going to be issues that we are working through. How they play out we will have to wait and see.’

Martin Johnson ’s England squad head to Portugal for a pre-tournament training camp at the end of this month and Andrew has sent a firm message to Stade and Toulon that Wilkinson, Haskell and Palmer are expected to be there.

He said: ‘We have been absolutely consistent from day one with all these guys and the French clubs about what the situation is and it hasn’t changed.

‘The French league play on the Thursday that we are in Portugal. We expect them in Portugal and expect them to be there when Martin Johnson wants them there.

‘If Martin decides they can play at any stage that is a decision Martin takes for the benefit of the individual player and the team. That is the top and bottom of it.’